“I needed to get lost for a summer. Putting aside books and job interviews, I took a job working in the prettiest environment most people will never see.” I wouldn't say Bill Gerencer, the author of Working Waterfront, got lost; I'm sure he found himself...

And Then He Pressed Play: Track One by Robert Halliwell is the story of Arlo “A.J.” Walker, a shy yet musically gifted Canadian exchange student at Glenbridge Secondary in Ireland. The cultural differences are overwhelming for him, and in addition to his unique accent, he...

In The Iron Tithe by Robert W. Riley, we meet Knight Commander Cedrik Theramond, who serves as the King’s Shield and has the grueling charge of collecting mandatory grain levies. The crux is that these come from famine-struck villages to supply the King's army of...

The Drowned Queen by Elspeth Gregorsdóttir introduces us to Myr’Caenith, a woman who survives a century of captivity in the deathless realm of the Duskhold. She goes into the Whispering Sea, where her body dissolves and reforms with command over shadow and starlight. She crosses...

In Sicko, Avril Grady tells the story of Jamie Katz, a queer man working as a scriptwriter for an adult film studio. Jamie’s life is complicated—he’s still intertwined with Paul, his twice-ex-husband who is also his boss and secret lover, and their repeated breakups and...

Born and brought up in London’s East End in 1952, Steven James Foreman longed for adventure and headed for Africa in 1992 to follow his dream. He was to stay for 30 years, returning to the UK in 2024. He recounts his experiences in From...

Elizabeth Kellam's Chopin’s Last Manuscript begins in 1971, when a Polish craftsman renovating Eugène Delacroix’s Paris studio discovers a hidden leather portfolio beneath the floorboards. Inside are a manuscript signed by Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin and a diary that appears to chronicle his private account of...

Escape Gravestone Caverns by Melissa Costa begins in 1605, during the Nightlore Witch Trials, when sisters Cordelia and Dalia flee an angry mob and hide in a cavern that becomes their tomb. The story moves to 2025, where sixth grader Jenny Corine prepares for a...

A Strange Sound: Friendly’s Universe by Olive Green is a children’s story about a toad named Terry who is driving a truck full of berries. She is singing aloud in her truck when she hears a series of strange sounds along the way: whistles, squeals,...

On her first day at South Iris High, twelve-year-old Nina Allbright was an awkward auburn-haired girl with braces and two left feet. However, she has her two left feet to thank for an encounter that was about to shape the rest of her high school...

Upon opening Paul Kaplan's The Thingy That’s Stringy (and Other Ridiculous Poems), young readers enter a playful world of everyday moments and familiar objects that turn into ridiculously silly rhymes. This book is full of short poems that bounce quickly from deli counters selling laughs...

Adopted in 1955, T. Alex Blum’s memoir An Accident of Birth: A Story of Adoption and Identity describes a Manhattan upbringing by his adoptive parents, Nancy and John, who treat his adoption as a fact while keeping questions about his origins at a distance. At...

She Who Floats Above the Breeze by Jennifer Conklin is the third book in The Adventure Above series. It is a well-written book that takes young readers on an exciting adventure as two best friends embark on a journey of discovery. Anya and Breck embark...

In Excess Baggage by Jodi Culliney, readers are introduced to Tess, who is a baker in Brooklyn. She is preparing to marry Josh, her longtime partner. But in the meantime, she is headed on a cross-country trip all the way to San Francisco by train...

Cutting Losses: Love, South Dakota Style by Jodi Culliney pulled me in immediately with its compelling premise. A man ditched at the altar has a lot to deal with emotionally and psychologically. Josh Livingston is left at the altar by his fiancée for his college...

Mixed Messages by Jodi Culliney is a heartwarming love story about Lana Miller and Liam Livingston, who met by fate. Unaware that Lana’s former colleague and crush at the hospital is Liam’s cousin, the two meet and have a magical night together. Their relationship is...

Futureproofing Humanity by Robert M. Geraci examines how modern scientific discoveries changed the way people understand the fate of human civilization. After geology and evolutionary theory revealed that life emerged through natural processes across immense spans of time, the possibility that humanity might also disappear...

Thank You for the Shoes by Raffaela Marie Rizzo follows the life of Michelangelo Rizzo, a young boy growing up in the rough mountains of Calabria at the turn of the twentieth century. The story traces his father’s difficult decision to leave Italy for America...

A Life Without You by Rose Roberts is a well-written book that emphasizes the importance of love, commitment, and appreciating what you have in the moment. The story begins with Claire, a thirty-two-year-old woman, having a session with her therapist, Nadine. Claire is married to...

Wrong Bird by Matthew West-James is a memoir built around moments when his confidence and his reality collided. The book begins with his teenage decision to mark a turning point in life with a phoenix tattoo that later proves to be nearly identical to the...